You walk up to a tap list. Each beer has a name, a style, and then a row of numbers — 5.8% ABV · 42 IBU · SRM 12. Most people ignore them and order blind. But those three stats are a cheat sheet that can tell you almost everything about what's in the glass before you commit. Once you understand them, craft beer menus stop looking like homework.
ABV: Alcohol by Volume
How strong is this beer?
ABV tells you what percentage of the liquid in your glass is pure alcohol. A beer labeled 5.0% ABV is 5% alcohol and 95% everything else — water, malt sugars, hop compounds, yeast byproducts. It's the same scale used for wine (typically 11–14%) and spirits (usually 40%+), so it's easy to put in context.
Higher ABV generally means a fuller body, a warming sensation as you drink, and a bigger flavour profile. Lower ABV beers tend to feel lighter and more refreshing. The relationship isn't perfect — a 4% sour can be intensely flavorful — but it's a reliable starting guide.
| Style | Typical ABV | What It Feels Like |
|---|---|---|
| Light Lager / Kölsch | 3.5–5% | Highly sessionable. Easy to drink several pints over an afternoon. |
| Wheat Beer / Hefeweizen | 4–5.5% | Relaxed, refreshing. A summer afternoon beer. |
| Pale Ale / IPA | 5–7% | Standard strength. A pint or two at pace feels natural. |
| Double / Imperial IPA | 7.5–10% | Respect the glass. One or two is usually enough. |
| Belgian Tripel / Saison | 7–9.5% | Deceptively drinkable. The yeast character masks the alcohol. |
| Stout / Porter | 4–6% / 10–13% imperial | Wide range. Standard stouts are approachable; imperial stouts sip like dessert wine. |
| Sour / Gose / Berliner | 3–5% | Usually low ABV — makes them great for flights and longer sessions. |
IBU: International Bitterness Units
How bitter are the hops?
IBU measures the concentration of bittering compounds from hops in a beer. It runs on a scale from 0 (no bitterness at all) upward with no fixed ceiling — though most human palates can't perceive bitterness beyond about 80 IBU regardless of what the number says. Anything above that is largely theoretical.
The compounds being measured are called iso-alpha acids — they're what you extract from hops during the boil. More hops added earlier in the brewing process = more IBU. Hops added late (or dry-hopped after brewing) contribute mainly aroma, not bitterness, which is why some very hop-aromatic beers have surprisingly modest IBUs.
| Style | Typical IBU | Flavour Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat Beer / Hefeweizen | 8–15 | Almost no perceptible bitterness. Soft, bready, fruit-forward. |
| Cream Ale / Light Lager | 10–20 | Minimal hop presence. Clean and neutral finish. |
| Kölsch / Pilsner | 18–30 | Gentle herbal or floral hop note. Crisp and dry without harshness. |
| Pale Ale | 25–45 | Balanced bitterness with citrus or floral notes. Entry-level hop character. |
| Hazy / NEIPA | 40–70 | Despite high numbers, perceived bitterness is often soft due to residual sweetness and dry-hopping. |
| West Coast IPA | 50–80 | Assertive, dry bitterness. Pine, citrus, resinous. Classic hop-forward character. |
| Stout / Porter | 25–50 | Bitterness is mostly perceived as roasty coffee or dark chocolate, not "hoppy." |
| Sour / Gose / Berliner | 3–12 | Virtually no hop bitterness. Tartness comes from acids, not hops. |
3 — Why High IBU Doesn't Always Mean Harshly Bitter
This is the single most misunderstood concept in craft beer stats. IBU is a measurement of bittering compounds — not a measurement of how bitter a beer actually tastes to you. Those are different things, and the gap between them can be enormous.
What closes the gap? Malt sweetness, residual sugar, carbonation, ABV, and yeast character can all soften or amplify perceived bitterness. Think of it like chilli heat in food — a dish can have a lot of capsaicin on paper, but if there's cream, sugar, and fat in the recipe, the heat is balanced and pleasant rather than harsh.
Hazy IPA
Tastes: Juicy & Soft
Craft Pilsner
Tastes: Crisp & Bitter
Milk Stout
Tastes: Creamy & Smooth
West Coast IPA
Tastes: Sharp & Piney
SRM: The Color Scale
What color is this beer — and what can't it tell you?
SRM is the scientific measurement of a beer's color. It was developed by the American Society of Brewing Chemists and works by passing a specific wavelength of light through a 1 cm sample of beer and measuring how much light is absorbed. More absorption = darker beer = higher number.
The scale runs from 1 (nearly water-clear) to 40+ (opaque black). You won't always see SRM on a menu — many taprooms skip it — but when it's listed, it gives you an instant visual preview of what's coming.
The SRM Color Spectrum — 1 to 40+
When SRM predicts flavour — and when it doesn't
| Beer | SRM | What You Might Expect | What's Actually True |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black IPA | 30–40 | "Dark = heavy and sweet" | Very dry, aggressively hoppy, and bitter. Dark color comes from dehusked roasted malt that adds color without heavy roast flavour. |
| Schwarzbier | 25–35 | "Looks like a stout — must be thick" | Light-bodied, crisp, and clean. A black lager that drinks like a pilsner but looks like midnight. |
| Belgian Tripel | 4–7 | "Pale gold = light and easy" | 8–10% ABV. Deceptively strong and complex despite the pale color. |
| Milk Stout | 35–40 | "Black = bitter and intense" | Sweet, creamy, and very low perceived bitterness. One of the most approachable beers on any tap list. |
| Hazy IPA | 4–7 | "Pale = low alcohol, light" | Typically 6–7.5% ABV with big tropical fruit flavour. Cloud-like appearance is yeast and hop protein, not color. |
5 — Gravity: OG and FG Explained Simply
Original Gravity (OG) and Final Gravity (FG) appear on some tap menus, mostly at breweries that like to give beer geeks something to chew on. They look intimidating — numbers like OG 1.065 — but the concept is simple.
Gravity measures the density of the liquid at different points in the brewing process, specifically how much dissolved sugar is present. Pure water has a gravity of 1.000. The more sugar dissolved in the liquid, the higher the number rises.
Original Gravity
Measured before fermentation. Tells you how much sugar the yeast has to eat. Higher OG = more potential alcohol and a bigger, richer final beer. A typical standard beer might be OG 1.050–1.060. An imperial stout might be OG 1.100+.
Final Gravity
Measured after fermentation. Tells you how much sugar the yeast left behind. Higher FG = more residual sweetness and body. Lower FG = drier, crisper beer. A dry IPA might finish at FG 1.008. A sweet stout might be FG 1.020+.
6 — Putting It Together: A Real Tap List Comparison
Here's how all four stats work together in practice. Imagine you're standing at a taproom and the chalkboard shows four options. Here's how to read them:
Kölsch
Summerside Kölsch
🔎 Pale gold, nearly clear. Low bitterness, easy drinking. A step up from mainstream lager in flavour without any intimidation factor. Great session beer for a long afternoon.
Hazy IPA
Tropicale Haze
🔎 Cloudy orange-gold. High IBU but soft and fruity — the haze means it's juicy, not harsh. Tropical fruit aroma, full body. A pint drinker's IPA.
Belgian Witbier
Blanche du Village
🔎 Cloudy straw-white. Virtually no bitterness. Coriander and orange peel spice from the recipe, not the hops. Perfect gateway beer for non-beer drinkers.
Imperial Stout
Blackforge Imperial
🔎 Pitch black and opaque. Not harsh despite 50 IBU — dark malts and residual sweetness balance the hops. Chocolate, espresso, dark fruit. Sip this like a dessert. Half pour recommended.
7 — Use These Stats to Find Your Next Beer on BreweryFinder.ca
Now that you can read a tap list like a pro, the next step is finding the taprooms worth visiting. BreweryFinder.ca lists 1,200+ Canadian craft breweries — filter by city, province, type, and more to find your next favourite pint.
Find a Craft Brewery Near You
Canada's most comprehensive craft brewery directory. Use your new knowledge to find the perfect pint.